Together, Germany and Norway will buy a total of six Type 212 submarines from the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, both countries’ defence ministries said in a statement on Tuesday.

Two of the submarines are for Germany, four are for Norway.

They are to be built in the German port city of Kiel, with delivery scheduled to begin in 2029 – three years later than planned.

The project will secure numerous high-quality jobs in Kiel and the surrounding area until the middle of the next decade, the German Defence Ministry said. It will also strengthen cooperation between the German and Norwegian navies. “With this step, Germany and Norway are jointly laying the groundwork for possible further cooperation with numerous allies in the EU and NATO,” the ministry added.

Negotiations had begun in 2019 but were delayed to the pandemic. Both sides also agreed on the procurement of missiles to arm the vessels.

The budget committee of the German parliament must still approve the entire project.

According to the Norwegian news agency NTB, Norway is estimating costs to be around 45 billion krone (5.2 billion dollars).